Steve Rudolph
Continuing what I hope will be a series of postings, I conducted an email interview with pianist Steve Rudolph recently. I sent Steve five questions which he gracefully and insightfully answered in a return email.
Steve Rudolph has been a major figure in the Central Pennsylvania Jazz community ever since his arrival in Harrisburg more than 30 years ago. He is a pianist of connsumate skill with a friendly demeanor which belies his Hoosier upbringing. For a complete picture of Steve and his current projects visit his website here.
1. You’ve done some international traveling and performing in recent years. Have you found that the old cliche is true that Jazz is better appreciated outside the U.S.?
There is an audience for jazz in every part of the world now - there are also amazing jazz musicians all over the world (even Siberia), but I wouldn’t say that there is more love for the music in other countries. Even large metropolitan areas in Europe have very few venues for jazz. Major jazz festivals there include rock, blues and R&B – because the music doesn’t draw the way it used to….the pure fact is that if you’re not on TV (the central place for the world’s information) you don’t exist and we are not on TV…anywhere.
2. What made you decide to keep Central PA as your home base? Couldn’t you have gone just about anywhere and played jazz?
It’s not as easy as one might assume to make a living in this music. I don’t recommend a life as a jazz artist to any of my students. I was very lucky to find a place where I was able to work steadily and play with the highest caliber of musicians on a regular basis. The first job I had in Harrisburg was for a company that was laundering money. They put three ads a week in the local paper with my face and name on them. This was also at a time when everyone read the paper – remember those days!?!? You can’t get marketing like that anywhere…after two years on that job I was the most famous musician in Central PA and had a loyal following and steady work ever since. I don’t really think it would have mattered much whether I played well or not…
3. Who are the up-and-coming performers on your radar? To whom have you been listening lately?
Too many young artists to mention…with all the training available, etc….at least jazz is alive in the schools!
Gerald Clayton – piano – gifted young artist, composer with a strong lineage (bassist John Clayton’s son) and poetic skills.
Warren Wolf – vibraphone – can seriously play
I could literally go on for days, but I should say something about the generation of artists (or two) who got overlooked in the rush to find the next wunderkind. There are too many artists of my age - slighty younger, slightly older – who weren’t young enough when the record lables’ stables started passing away…have you noticed that there are hardly any “big name” artists out there other than Wynton and Diana Krall….I mean artists who you can walk down the street and ask anyone and the chances are they would at least have heard their names. Jazz marketing has been abysmal (back to the TV thing) and record labels generally put too much weight on artists who were not seasoned, opting for the fresh faced young “genius” artist search. This is a subject that needs a novel…no short answers will work here…
4. You’ve written some tunes over the years, do you like composing and do you find it easy?
I love to write…somedays it’s a breeze – other days it’s like pulling teeth. Usually my best work is when the breeze is blowing…
5. Where do you see yourself in five years?
Hopefully right here…I have built up a reputation in this area that allows me to grow as an artist and actually make a living. I will continue to tour and do concets and workshops in various places around the world, but I really like it here and always was a homebody of sorts. I didn’t get into this music for the money and am very happy at the prospect of continuing my artistic climb in the security (such as it is ) of Central PA.
Related Reading:
February 14th, 2009 in
Jazz,
Musicians
Buy:Viagra.Soma.Viagra Super Force.Cialis Professional.Super Active ED Pack.Tramadol.VPXL.Viagra Soft Tabs.Levitra.Viagra Super Active+.Cialis.Maxaman.Cialis Super Active+.Propecia.Zithromax.Cialis Soft Tabs.Viagra Professional….